August 15 - 1947 - Indian Independence Day

Indian Independence Day marks the occasion in 1947 that rule over the Indian subcontintent shifted from British rule to local rule. That simple statement makes the process sound much more straightforward than it really was. India first developed a national, unified identity under the British Raj, as Crown rule was known, and an Indian independence movement began in earnest around 1900. Then, the British Raj was actually divided into two states, Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, which actually included both present day Pakistan and Bangladesh. This partition of India would continue to cause issues even after Indian independence.